The central gimmick of Champ Against Champ, one of many Dragon Lee flicks helmed by director Godfrey Ho, is a gloriously ridiculous one: All-but-killed by a poisoned dart from the paranoid potentate Master Kai, our young hero must have his leg amputated in order to survive. Luckily for him, his betrothed is the granddaughter of Steel Leg the Great, the late martial arts amputee and grandmaster of the eighteen kicks. So once Dragon forges himself a new leg and studies the conveniently discovered training manual, he's ready to take on everyone from a man with blowtorch breath and a small harem of lady ninjas who can disappear in the blink of an eye.
The fight sequences aren't Dragon Lee's best, although he does have a running gag involving one opponent's ass! Still, it's wonderful to hear his fake leg clang periodically when an opponent strikes it or when he stomps his foot on the ground. The sound can resemble the pealing of a church bell or the bong of a slammed metal dumpster's lid. I imagine it hurts when that steel leg hits you but the noise is never not funny. Which is why you can easily get restless wishing they'd included the clang of contact every damned time. Instead, we're left to figure out why Dragon's father is named Master Tai, his nemesis Master Kai, and one featured elder Master Wai. Why the rhyming names? Why? Wai? Beats me!
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